Poetic Coherence
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In William Shakespeares later plays, he developed mature style of writing centering on what Stephen Greenblatt identifies as poetic coherence. Poetic coherence is a way of giving details and deeper understanding of Shakespeares strategic opacities without giving explanations and excuses for the plots and characters in his stories (Greenblatt, 324). The Tempest was Shakespeares culminating play, where all of the ideas he had ever worked with, revenge, brutality of family members, magic, and power come together to create one of his greatest masterpieces. To better understand the ideas behind this play, one must look at Prospero, former prince and Duke of Milan, who bides his time, waiting to avenge the misdeeds done against him by his brother Antonio. Prosperos psychological megalomaniac obsession puts the fate of the play wholly in his hands, and allows for him to turn everything upside down and to his own liking. Ultimately his total control allows for him to achieve his main objective, returning as Duke of Milan, but forces him to give up all that he has worked to achieve the twelve years he has been exiled. A characters psychological obsessions, as applied to The Tempest, explain the deeper significance in a persons character and actions, allowing for greater understanding of the play.
Upon arriving on the island Prospero and Miranda were exiled to, Prospero takes two servants under his control, non-magical Caliban, who has claims on the island, and magical spirit, Ariel, who has been imprisoned by Calibans witch mother Sycorax. These two characters are important to the plot of the play because they allow for Prospero to amass his magic power and total control. Caliban “Showed thee all the qualities o th isle, the fresh springs, brine pits, barren place and fertile” (The Tempest, I.2.339-340) then was made into a slave, not meant to do more than the cleaning of dishes, carrying of wood, and the labor Prospero wishes. Ariel is more indebt to Prospero than he is a slave, saving him from the tree Sycorax placed him in, indebted him and his powers to Prospero, which furthered Prosperos abilities. With the production of the tempest by Ariel, the audience gets a first glance into the mind of this most powerful wizard Prospero. “Hast thou, spirit, preformed to the point the tempest I bade thee?”, “Who was so firm, so constant, that his coil would not infect his reason” (The Tempest, I.2.193-194 & 208-209). These passages show Prospero has a power without restraint that he didnt have as Duke of Milan, and with this power he is able to manipulate all relationships between people, and changing their own fates.
As the ship wrecks upon the shore, Prosperos plans are already in motion. Ariel has managed to separate the men into small groups enabling Prospero to force his will upon them all in turn. First, Ferdinand is brought to see the beautiful Miranda where at once Prospero exclaims, “It goes on, I see, as my soul prompts it” (The Tempest, I.2.421-422), and then the two fall in love. This appears to be at random that Prospero would force a move like this, but hes gathering alignments. Alonso, the aging King of Naples, has but one son, Ferdinand, who is